An Answer to a God's Prayer
by mcknight93
Summary: During the events of Mortal Kombat 2011 and after Halo 4. When Liu Kang defeated Goro and Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat tournament, Raiden notices his amulet continues to crack meaning the future of Shao Kahn ruling Earthrealm remained unchanged. Hoping to prevent such an apocalyptic outcome, Raiden prays to the Elder Gods. What happens when they answer? They summon a Spartan-II


**Hello there, mcknight93 here with a brand new crossover between Halo and Mortal Kombat. Where the Master Chief is thrown in the Mortal Kombat world. This story follows the events after Halo 4 and during Mortal Kombat 2011. The story itself will take place after the first Mortal Kombat tournament, where Liu Kang has defeated Goro and Shang Tsung, and saved Earthrealm. Our Spartan-II will land before the second tournament.**

**I would like to thank Carleen, WeepingCadaver, and Lord Izanagi for beta reading this story. They were a tremendous amount of help. I would also like to thank creamofwheat2311 on giving me the idea on how strong the Infinity's shields could be. There is also Freedom Guard and HarbingerofChaos on giving me the okay sign on how I wrote my godly character's dialogue.**

**A word of warning though, Sarah Palmer might seem a little out of character at first but that is because I dedicate that to a good friend of mine and for other specific reasons. **

**Remember: This story follows the events after Halo 4 and during Mortal Kombat 2011. The story itself will take place after the first Mortal Kombat tournament, where Liu Kang has defeated Goro and Shang Tsung, and saved Earthrealm. Our Spartan-II will land before the second tournament. **

**Well I hope you enjoy the story.**

**Chapter 1: A Gift from the Gods**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or Mortal Kombat. Halo belongs to 343 Industries and Mortal Kombat belongs to NetherRealm Studios. **

***China, Earthrealm***

On a bright, warm mid-day, in the Shaolin temple of the Wu Shi Academy's courtyard, several monks cheered and shouted in celebration. Their finest student, Liu Kang, had won the Mortal Kombat tournament, saving Earthrealm from the malevolent Shao Kahn and his forces. Through his heroism, he had restored peace to the troubled land. An orchestra of raucous claps and congratulations boomed throughout the academy for their honored champion.

Despite the joyous time, there was one divine being, who was somewhat troubled by the outcome of Liu Kang's victory. Raiden, the god of thunder, and protector of Earth, was concerned. He sat outside of the temple, at an imposingly tall stone shrine of the Elder Gods, set in the midst of a tranquil bamboo forest. Meditating, the world around him seemed to stand still. The breeze died down through the many trees, and the vibrant green leaves and bamboo stalks stood silent. He needed the peace and quiet, away from the jubilations, to think to himself.

Before the Mortal Kombat tournament began, he had received cryptic visions from his future self, where Shao Kahn became invincible and wiped out all life on Earthrealm. Though he didn't fully understand the prediction, he was able to hear the words, _'He must win.' _

Raiden looked down and stared at the fractured azure amulet clutched in his palms. He had also noticed that when the future remains unchanged, his amulet would crack. At first, the thunder-god thought, _'He must win' _referred to Liu Kang defeating Shang Tsung at the fighting competition. But he later learned that he was wrong when his amulet cracked even further.

He gently brushed his thumb over the deep scratches the medallion had already taken. The black dragon symbol embedded in the center reflected his gaze, as if it was mocking him for the time puzzle he couldn't solve.

Raiden was of course relieved that Liu Kang had won Mortal Kombat and saved their world, but he was also frustrated at his confusing visions. The thunder-god didn't know who '_he'_ was, what that person had to win at, or even how to prevent the horrible future that was coming.

So now, the immortal being in the straw hat, sought the only entities that could possibly know the answer; the Elder Gods themselves.

Raiden stood up and approached the stone shrine dedicated to the omniscient ones. A sweet and calm gust of wind blew with him, perhaps gesturing that someone above was listening.

"Elder Gods, here my plea! I seek the answers from the visions that plague me. Who is the one that must win? Who is the one that must prevent a devastating future? I beg of you; share your wisdom with me. Give me a sign."

***In the Realm of the Elder Gods * **

In a land that was so grand, ascension was always promised. A paradise that crafted no wars, but instead held high expectations for its celestial inhabitants. A world that gave immense strength to even its newborns. This was the realm of the Elder Gods.

Where several mountains reached so high, heavenly white clouds misted around them. The weather was always fair among a clear sky, which held a pink hue from the multiple setting suns. Numerous stars and planets sailed so close to the utopia that reaching for them seemed trivial to young daydreamers.

But in the face of the peace and tranquility, six ethereal beings gathered in a civil meeting for a rather pressing matter. They were none other than the Elder Gods themselves.

"Raiden, he calls to us once more," The speaker was dark-skinned, so much so that the dry, tan-colored grasses around her hips and the brilliantly colored beads that adorned her body seemed to glow. The whites of her eyes and the pale swirls of paint on her face were a startling contrast to the midnight tone of her skin. She seemed to emit a strange aura, a radiance of power, even as her entire form seemed to waver, as if she were a phantom. She represented an African Shaman.

"It matters not. We must fulfill our sole purpose; to prevent the rebirth of the One-being," the specter of an ancient Japanese samurai, replied. His figure was slim, fitting well in the traditional kimono. The skin was light, which made his thinning black hair stand out.

"We have all foreseen what is to come. We've witnessed all possible outcomes. His arrival is inevitable and our failure is imminent," said the deep voice of the Elder God that appeared similar to a Nordic Viking. His body bulging with muscles behind his fur clothes of a deceased bear. The most flashing of is attire was his blond beard that shined over his large stature.

"Do not speak with such poisonous venom on your tongue. Perhaps there is a chance to thwart our downfall," the soft voice of a goddess spoke. Her emerald eyes stood out from pale skin that matched a fresh blanket of snow. The brunette hair was wrapped in a tight bun, along with two braids trailing down to her thin silk shoulders. Her white toga strapped by a red sash along her waist, which modeled her perfect feminine figure. She represented a young Greek woman.

"What do you mean? Did you blink when the all the futures unfolded before us? What sparks your glimmer of hope and foolishness?" the embodiment of a Native American war chieftain questioned. One could feel intimidated with his red skinned bulky arms folded across his chest. His crimson nose turned up to dignified his bravery and pride. A feather headdress with black horns ran all the way down to his feet. Twin black pig-tailed hair, traveled past the tribal blue paint marks on his face and dangled across his exposed chest. The only real clothing was light brown buffalo skinned pants.

"No, I opened my eyes to gaze further, while the rest of you stared at your own doom. Our own actions may blind even ourselves," the Greek argued.

"Do not attempt to sway us with riddles. We have little patience for false beliefs in these dark times," the Elder God spat who impersonated an Egyptian Queen.

"What if we reached beyond our influence? What if we summoned a warrior from a universe not under our jurisdiction?" the ethereal Greek goddess tried to reason.

"Have you gone mad? We would be unsighted from the future! We could not predict even the simplest of actions! The One-being would surely wipe us out, and we would not foresee it," the Nordic god exclaimed in no haste.

"Silence!" the African shaman intervened, "Let her continue. We are within reason. But why suggest such a bold move? Do you truly believe one individual can change our fate?"

"There are no other options to test upon. Our fates are sealed if we do not act, each of us know this." The Elder Gods glanced at one and another awkwardly. They might have been all-powerful deities, but the One-being was more than capable of bringing them to their knees.

The Greek goddess began again,

"I agree that what I propose is a brash and daring move, letting an unknown bring about our destinies. But it seems to be our last option. Besides it will be very entertaining to watch the oncoming fights, with our predictions clouded."

"Indeed," the samurai grunted, "Have you chosen a champion?"

It was then that the female Greek ethereal smirked on her ghostly lips.

"There is one that I have been watching for quite some time."

***Aboard the UNSC Infinity Command Deck, three months after the Second Battle of Requiem* **

Captain Thomas Lasky stood over the battle net table; it showed the holographic images of three Covenant _CRS_-class light cruisers, orbiting a planet. The most powerful ship in Humanity's arsenal was sent on a rather simple, but crucial mission. They were to intercept a small group of Storm remnants near the former human colony Chi Rho in the Ectanus forty-five system. HIGHCOM had discovered that the Sangheili zealot leading the warships, Zarpa Meham, held the information of Jul Mdama's location.

_'And if we find the him, then we find the other half of the Janus Key, and hopefully Dr Halsey as well.'_

Lasky frowned at the thought of the aging scientist. When they were on Requiem, he had called her in to help with a certain Forerunner artifact which anchored them to the planet. But then she got captured by Promethean Knights right before his very eyes, during their boarding incident.

Admiral Osman quickly learned about her abduction and gave the drastic order for Commander Palmer to assassinate her. He hated the thought of having to kill the civilian when she needed help; they were soldiers after all, not hitman. So he tried to prevent her execution when he sent fire team Majestic to grab her, before Palmer could arrive. Yet in the end, they ultimately failed and Dr Halsey had been taken by Jul Mdama.

_'We lost a huge asset, and the other half of the Janus Key to those Split-lips. And it was all my fault.' _

To help his ease mind, he replayed the strategic plan to ambush the Covies several times over in his head. It was a fairly straightforward operation. They were to exit out of slipspace, destroy the two escort ships around the command cruiser and disable its engines. During the attack, a small Spartan boarding team would be sent in to download the vital information, and get out with minimum causalities. They would then have the official confirmation to finish off the remaining _CRS-_light cruiser. Finally they would report back to Lord Hood of their findings.

Yes, it would indeed be a walk in a park for the mightiest ship in the UNSC's fleet, along with the nearly unstoppable Spartan super soldiers. He was also reassured and worried that an old friend of his had volunteered for the mission.

A yellow avatar, tall and rough, with the appearance of an American World War II pilot, popped up next to Thomas Lasky with a brief salute.

"We are nearing the small Covenant fleet location, Captain. A stagger line, pretty standard positioning really. The Infinity should be clear of slipspace in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Roland."

Instead of flashing away to carry on with other tasks of the ship, Roland stood there as if he was thinking. The hologram lost its respectful stance, and began to pace the holopad on the corner of the desktop. He stopped and faced the captain, arms crossed, with his face contorted into an expression of unease. Being the bold type of smart A.I, he spoke what was on his mind,

"Sir, if I may? I do see a few minor flaws with our objective."

"Go ahead."

"For starters, don't you think it is a bit of overkill to send the Infinity to take out three little light cruisers?"

The Captain of said ship, couldn't hold back the chuckle. The A.I. was very much right that sending the largest ship in human's history was a bit much. But from what he and nearly every other veteran of the Human-Covenant war learned; nothing was overkill, especially when it concerned the Forerunners.

"Duly noted. What's the next issue?"

"Is this mission too personal for Sierra-117? There's a slight chance that he could find out about Dr Halsey."

Thomas paused and held his breath for a moment, his distress for his old friend resurfaced. It was the one minor detail that concerned him about the whole mission; what if Master Chief found out about Dr Halsey? Serin Osman made it crystal clear that the super soldier and the scientist should never contact one another. He assumed that the Spartans held a grudge against the doctor from practically taking their entire lives away. His hunch was reinforced when Halsey slapped him across the face when she realized that they were hiding information that listed Chief was alive. But he did think it was odd that she would hit him in the first place.

'_If she was willing to smack me, I wonder what a raging Spartan would do?' _a cold shiver slithered down his spine at the destructive thought.

"Just let me worry about that, Roland. Is the boarding team ready?"

"Spartans Parker and Kent are getting prepped in the armory. Commander Palmer is currently making her way to the bird as we speak," the A.I. informed.

"Lasky arched an eyebrow. He was curious as to why there was no mention of the man they were only just talking about."

"What about the Master Chief?"

"He's been waiting in the Pelican for the past twenty minutes."

***Main Hangar Bay of the UNSC Infinity* **

In the large hangar bay of Humanity's finest warship, several pilots and personnel scrambled around like bees in a hive. Bright strobe lights flashed and officers shouted, directing everyone to their specific duty. Fuel lines were attached to the underbelly of the jets, while routine system checks ran in their cockpit. They wanted every single F-41 Broadsword well supplied for the upcoming dogfight.

But among all the ruckus and commotion, one lone, large, armored figure remained frozen in the shadows. Hunched over in the cargo bay seats of a Pelican gunship was Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. While his body didn't move an inch, his mind ran with a thousand thoughts, as he stared endlessly at the data matrix in the palm of his hand. What once went to the back of his helmet, now belonged around his neck, next to his dog tags. That way it was close to him at all times, by his heart and under his armor, like how _'she'_ was.

_"I won't recover from Rampancy, Chief."_

Cortana… his thoughts drifted to her once again. It had been nine months since her death. Since she'd sacrificed herself to save him… to save Humanity from the Didact and his Composer. He remembered the tremble in her voice and his as she'd said goodbye… disappearing forever. He could never forget the sadness in her digital eyes. Even as it crossed his mind, the Spartan felt an ache, a tightness in his chest and a thickness in his throat.

_"Don't make a girl a promise... if you know you can't keep it..."_

The Spartan-II was no stranger to death, he had witnessed countless amount of casualties throughout his entire life. And yet, as used to death as he was, it never became any easier. He could feel the pain welling up inside him again, despite his best efforts to squash it.

_"Promise me you'll find out which one of us is the machine."_

From the day Dr Halsey gave the A.I to him, Cortana had done so much for him. She saved his life on numerous occasions, stopped him from inadvertently wiping out all life in the galaxy with Installation-04, eradicated the Flood on the Ark… and she_,_ not him, had bested the Didact.

_"It worked, you did it! Just like you always do..."_

The renegade Forerunner was on the verge of ending his life, the Spartan rendered helpless by his telekinetic field, but she had come to his defense one final time. She'd bought their victory with her life. And would anyone even know? Most of what had occurred on the Didact's vessel was still strictly classified. And even the bits that had been declassified… would the history books ever truly capture how much Cortana had done for all of the human race?

_"I'm not coming with you this time...most of me is down there. I held only enough back to get you off the ship."_

Without her, he was not whole. He was an empty man in a shell. He felt as if he'd left a piece of himself behind on the Didact's vessel, as if someone had ripped a part of him out, and left a void where it used to be.

_"We were supposed to take care of each other... and we did!"_

He narrowed his gaze behind the visor of his helmet. He could not allow those thoughts to weigh him down, to drag him into the abyss of despair and wallow in his self-pity. Cortana wouldn't have wanted that. He was still Humanity's sword and shield; a Spartan-II. That was how he would honor her legacy. That was what he'd kept telling himself all these months. And yet… the pain was still there. It never dulled nor healed, it was his constant reminder of what he was missing.

_"Welcome home, John."_

Once Chief arrived back on Earth, the UNSC was gracious enough to offer him some leisure time for his services. Of course he had to go through some questioning on his where abouts after the war. Ultimately, he denied the recreational opportunity. Instead he busied himself by partaking in any mission available. He was a soldier, and fighting was the only thing he knew.

He secured outer colonies and repelled any Storm Covenant or remaining Loyalist that attacked them. However, nothing felt the same as during the war. It was as if he had woken up in an entirely new era.

Humanity was no longer losing to the former mighty Covenant Empire. They were now crushing any remnant forces that stood in their way with relative ease. The UNSC technology had improved vastly over the short amount of years, and the Infinity was the epitome of it all. Shields strong enough to plow through nearly any vessel and enough firepower to take on a entire fleet on its own.

New weapons and vehicles slaughtered their way through the Storm's ranks, making mince meat out of every foe. Colonies and worlds were being reconstructed after their glassing, along with searching new habitable planets. Ships were sent on excavations to locate and research whatever Forerunner artifacts were left out there in the vast galaxy.

Even the Spartans had their own branch in the military.

The Master Chief was able read up on the S-IV project. The augmentations that had crippled half his brothers and sisters were a thing of the past, replaced by newer and safer methods. The newest super soldiers didn't have the ceramic coated bones or reflexes as fast as his 'kind,' but that was traded for anyone to be able to participate in the program rather than having a specific genetic code.

The Gen-II Mjolnir armor was also much different from his generation set. Streamlined edges, pronounced power pack design, as well as being much cheaper too. The new models were mass-produced by factories rather than Dr Halsey herself. While his armor cost the amount of a starship, the Spartan-IV's only equaled to a fully armed Scorpion tank or able to equip an entire ODST platoon.

In a way, the Spartan-IV's were almost alien to him and the rest of his family. They weren't like himself, Kelly, Linda, or Fred. They weren't raised up from small children, nor 'indoctrinated.' And none of them had the decades of active combat experience that he and his remaining brethren had. They were taken from high scoring and quality performing Marine, Army, ODST, and Naval personnel. Some were veterans, while others had been recruited straight out of basic training. They were ordinary individuals given extraordinary abilities and weaponry. Nothing more, nothing less. A part of him wondered if that was one reason why they didn't seem as heavily augmented as the S-II's; because the Model-IV's weren't "programmed" with absolute loyalty to the UNSC. If that was the case, it made another anomaly that he and his team had noticed, all the more stark.

At one point, something did cross his mind. If there were IVs, where were the IIIs? He certainly didn't recall ever meeting one of them during the war. Maybe it was a washed out program?

He was hoping to see Dr Halsey, so she could fill him in on what he has missed the past few years. For reasons he didn't know, his requests to see her were denied. He wanted to inform her about Cortana, and maybe ask her if there was ever a chance to save his closest friend. He also wanted to know if his adopted mother, Halsey herself, was safe and sound.

"Ready for the mission, Chief?" a female, but authoritive voice called out.

Bringing him out of his thoughts, Master Chief immediately clutched his hand, and turned his head. No one didn't need to see him in his moment of weakness, especially not her.

The Commander of the Spartan-IV contingent, Sarah Palmer stepped into the Pelican's loading ramp. She wore her usual snow-white Scout variant armor, with her helmet off and tucked under her right arm. Two M6H magnums were attached to her thighs, weapons she seemed to prefer, along with a M395 DMR slung on her back. She might had been suited up for war, but a small smile on her pursed lips, suggested otherwise.

John-117 had come to associate a certain amount of warmth and joviality under her facial expressions. Normally, she was cold, sarcastic, and strict with the other super soldiers, just like how a superior officer was supposed to behave. But with him, she was... different. She was somewhat kind in her own fashion and seemed to almost put effort to make him feel apart of the crew.

For the past few months, she had tried to socialize with him on a level no else had ever attempted. Various times, she'd ask him to workout with her in the gym, eat with her in the cafeteria, and even to train with her in the War Games with the other IVs. He denied all those requests save a few War Games in an attempt to help better the newest models. Still such human acts pointed out that she acted like an apparent friend.

But it did beg the question; why would she want to be companions with him? Was it because they shared the same title of Spartan? Was it out of admiration when people referred to him as a hero? Or was it because she knew that he lost someone dear to him? Whatever it might had been, he truly couldn't fathom it. But he knew he didn't need her pity. He would just adapt and survive, move on to the next fight, like how he always done.

His gaze fell to the empty floor.

'_Just like a machine,'_ the mechanical thoughts cranked in his head.

Palmer frowned when Chief remained silent as a statue, she knew he had to be grieving still. Her brown eyes fell upon his hand that held Cortana's data chip. She didn't fully understand the relationship between the A.I. and the one who saved all of humanity.

The Master Chief's partner was nearly as legendary as the Spartan himself. It was common knowledge in the military that the A.I. had been able to navigate through Forerunner systems with the ease of using a search engine, putting every egghead to shame. Anyone could see how she was so human-like in attitude and behavior; more than one person had mentioned the unnerving originality and authentic tone of voice in her jokes and her snark. Marines had occasionally whistled and drooled at the perfect, holographic nude avatar, a form which other women were envious of. Considering the differences in personality between the Chief and Cortana, it was a mystery how they managed to get along so well.

Sarah recalled the tense conflict between the former Captain Del Rio and the Master Chief. At first, the two had remained manageable with the other, though Del Rio had tried his trademark tendency to force his authority on the lower ranking officer. The ultimate event for their power struggle occurred when Cortana's rampancy revealed itself and unleashed an electromagnetic pulse, which temporarily disrupted the Infinity's bridge controls. Del Rio had attempted to bully him into surrendering his companion, but surprisingly John-117 had countered with a bold dismissal of a direct order from a superior officer. Spartans were trained to follow UNSC law to the letter; Chief's defiance had shocked all of them. She had passed it off as the Chief doing what he thought would defeat the Didact, before it reached Earth. But perhaps there was something more sentimental?

Commander Palmer remembered the stories of his suicide run into the Flood-controlled High Charity. The initial mission goal had been to retrieve the Index from a shipboard A.I, and initiate the in-construction Halo ring above the Ark. He indeed completed the mission like always, it was just he went further and brought Cortana back with him. For the longest time, Sarah had been baffled and frustrated with how the facts didn't add up. How the Chief, a living legend and humanity's single symbol of hope, had risked everything to save a replaceable computer program.

She still didn't fully understand, especially not now.

Sarah Palmer glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was around. She was satisfied to see that all the personnel were far too busy with the broadswords to pay them any heed. She sat down next to the famed 117, with her helmet resting on her lap. She took a deep breath, and quickly exhaled to release the speech she promptly thought up in a that second;

"Chief, I know I can't truly understand what you're going through. But right now, I need you fully focused on the mission, so we can get in and get out all in one piece."

The super soldier turned his head towards her, acknowledging her words and giving her a steely amber stare.

She smiled a bit, partially aware that she was getting through that thick armor. It was actually a bit of a surprise since her words weren't all heart-felt or gooey, but brief and to the point. Well the Master Chief wasn't exactly known for his talking either, so she assumed that was what he was used to. Once she felt enough confidence was built up, she performed the next big leap; by placing a comforting hand on his clenched fist.

"Maybe once we're debriefed, me and you can talk about it over some coffee," Sarah said genuinely with a small smile that replaced the frown on her pursed lips.

For a moment there was no response from the Master Chief, and Sarah had to wonder whether she had perhaps gone too far. Those thoughts were banished from her mind, however, when there was a slight movement of the Chief's head; he had nodded, and with that her heart-felt strangely lighter.

Just as Sarah was shaping the words 'It's a deal then', a young male voice called out from behind them:

"Man, I can't wait until we finish this mission."

Sarah's eyes instantly shot open in shock, losing the emotional gaze with the stern Master Chief. Both Spartans were completely startled that someone was close by and could possibly see them.

With lightning fast reaction speed, Commander Palmer let go of Chief's hand and grabbed her helmet on her lap. She briskly locked in the protective gear on her head, and looked to the oncoming visitor. She did her absolute best to conceal the nervousness at being seen, her clamped fist nearly shaking.

If anyone was going to accuse her of anything... well they had another thing coming.

Meanwhile, John-117 quickly, but with a smooth fluid grace, tucked the data chip behind his chest plate, where it would be safe from any harm. He then reached to his side and held the MA5D assault rifle in his arms like a true military commando. He leaned back a bit, to where the magnetically attached Spartan Laser hit the seat. He remained stoic and cool, as if nothing ever happened.

He saw who the voice belonged to, as two male Spartan-IVs came into view at the back of the Pelican. Both of them were fully armored in the Recruit version of the Gen-II, which most of them seemed to wear.

"I finally get to choose a specialization once we're through. I think I'll go with Wetwork for stealth. What about you Parker?"

"I've decided on Rogue, I do better on my own."

The Master Chief could vaguely guess that the two IVs, might had been the same ones that accompanied him withThomas Lasky on the Mammoth. It was when they had to take out the anti-air forces on Requiem, and where he first encountered the Librarian.

"Don't you think it's kind of weird that they chose us to help the Master Chief and Commander Palmer?"

"Well Kent, they need the best so they got' em," the one known as Parker said with a light chuckle.

"Are you referring to us or Chief and Palmer?" Kent asked.

"Who do you think?"

"Spartans, sound off!" the Commander of the IVs barked, while standing up. Sarah's familiar imperious demeanor had returned, demanding full respect and attention.

At the ramp of the 'bird', both of them straighten up and saluted to the appointed leader.

"Spartans Parker and Kent, reporting for duty, ma'am!" Parker replied in the correct martial fashion, ditching his casual mood from a moment ago.

She glanced between the two, giving them an icy stare behind her cerulean blue visor, until finally;

"At ease."

The duo of super soldiers released a powerful exhale, losing their dignified posture, and dropping into the seats like a heavy sack of potatoes.

Though he wouldn't say it out loud, but John-117 did silently admit that Commander Palmer had a good way of controlling those under her.

"Alright boys," she began as she held onto the railing above her, "We got a simple grab and go mission today. We're to board the Covie ship and blast our way to the bridge. Once there, we must download vital information on the possible location of the head Split-lip honcho; Jul Mdama. Then we stroll out of there and let the Infinity blow the cruiser to kingdom come. We will be sprinting through this operation, so if you fall behind, you better work your ass off to catch back up,"

She faced the older generation of the team.

"Master Chief, you'll be taking point."

He simply nodded his head in obligation, which she returned in kind.

"Parker, you and me will be providing cover fire for Chief. He's got our front, so we need to watch his back." Palmer declared.

The young male Spartan-IV reached over his shoulder and pulled out his SAW.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sarah then turned to the final super soldier.

"Kent, you are the demolition man. Anything big standing in our way, it's your job to make them wish they weren't,"

"It'll be my solemnly pleasure, ma'am." he replied, slapping a sticky detonator to his thigh and a rail gun in his arms.

Finally Commander Palmer opened her comm link and spoke,

"Roland, tell Captain Lasky that we're green for go,"

***Back on the bridge* **

Captain Thomas Lasky once again, stood over the battle net table in the middle of the bridge. He continued to thoroughly examine the three holographic versions of the Covenant CRS light cruisers that they would soon be engaging, along with a squadron of Seraph fighters guarding them.

Like before, Roland's avatar popped up on the table, hands folded behind his back.

"Exiting slipspace in one minute, sir. The MACs are warmed up, all broadswords are prepped, and the Spartan team is geared up. On your word, Captain," the resident A.I. of the Infinity informed.

"Let's get this show on the road."

"Attention all hands. We are exiting slipspace jump," Roland called out through the intercom inside the mighty warship.

There was no warning save for the words of the AI, as a large, swirling vortex tore open directly in front of the Infinity. In little more than an instant the vessel was swallowed by the gaping hole in space, and deposited out the other side. It was there they saw their intended targets. Three _CRS-_class light cruisers orbited the scarred burnt remains of the UNSC colony world of Chi Rho. Alongside the Storm Covenant crafts were twenty Seraphs, already zooming towards the Infinity, hell-bent on wiping out the humans.

"Captain, we've got enemy Seraphs twelve o'clock," Lieutenant Phillips quickly reported from his station.

The automated point defense turrets on the Infinity's hulls already sprung to life, firing endlessly to swat out any nearby alien starfighters.

"Sir." Roland called out, "The enemy is in range and we have a positive lock on the fleet."

"The word is given. Fire the first MAC!" Captain Thomas Lasky barked.

"Aye, aye, sir!" the A.I. obeyed with a swift salute.

One of the four Magnetic Accelerator Cannons was already aimed at the cruiser on the right in the trio of the triangle formation. The first slug went off in what could only imagine be a deafening boom, if there was air in space. Within the blink of an eye, it found its destination.

The tungsten round slammed into the first Covenant ship. Instantly the shields were depleted and large portions of their hulls gutted by the devastating MAC projectile. In the next second, the light cruiser exploded in a blinding purple light of plasma. The broken and shattered remains shot across space, transforming into large clouds of debris.

Inside the bridge of the Infinity, its crew cheered and applauded in a small glamorous victory at their first kill, with more soon to follow.

"Nice job everyone, Captain Lasky congratulated, "Now let's get the next cruiser in our sights. Launch our fighters. I want the pilots scrambled to hold off those seraphs. Our Spartans will need a clear runway."

Twenty-five designated broadswords flew out of the hangar bay to greet the seraphs for a gruesome dogfight. All of them gathered in tactical formation, and met with their enemy head on. Both factions of fighters seemingly danced with each other in the etiquette of battle in the endless depths of open space. Most broadswords unleashed their missiles that sought the wisping seraphs. Some Sangheili pilots were talented enough to get away with lucky executed spins and twirls, while others pranced to an empty cold grave. The humans knew that in due time, they would win the tango with their superior numbers and skills.

But at the current time, the main conflict was the ship-to-ship combat.

"Sir, the readings on the left cruiser have spiked! They're firing their Energy Projector!" Lieutenant Phillips called out from his computer on the bridge.

A lance of sapphire blue light crossed the distance between the cruiser and the Infinity in an instant. The hexagonal energy shields of the human warship flared up as the directed energy beam splashed across the barrier. It was like a drop of water against a rock; the advanced shielding aboard the Infinity was able to repel the beam with ease.

"Shields still holding at ninety-five percent, Captain Lasky," Roland said, his tone and manner as casual as if he were reporting the week's weather forecast.

"Return fire. Shoot the next MAC." Thomas Lasky on the other hand, still had the carefully controlled tone of a man giving orders, which he most definitely was.

The MAC round catapulted through space and railed into the next light cruiser. The slug tore through the middle of bulbous body, ripping through its spine. The mass of purple armor, tried to resist for a millisecond before violently loosing. The ship cracked in half down the center and ignited in a huge detonation, a fantastic display of raw kinetic energy. The broken remains began to drift away from each other and burn up in Chi Rho's atmosphere.

"Direct hit, sir, the ship is down. Our kill count is two," Roland notified with a holographic grin.

"Excellent work. Aim for the left-wing on the final cruiser. We want to take out its shields, not destroy it."

For a third time, the super weapon went off with a silent boom and rocketed to its remaining foe. The MAC round immediately penetrated the energy shields, just like the others before it. The projectile carved right through the port side of the vessel, shearing off its curved 'appendage'. From the saturation attack, a powerful push of inertia flung the damaged cruiser in a ninety-degree angle, displaying it's now bared engines.

Thomas Lasky's eyes flashed wide open for merely a moment at the destructive show. Still he retained his professional calmed posture with his hands folded behind his back, and gave the next order.

"Target those engines and any plasma turrets, then launch Archer missile pods A and B."

A duo of cases shot out from the Infinity, and propelled at the husk of a ship. Within range, the two pods dispersed giving birth to forty-eight missiles screaming towards the lone Covenant warship. The concentrated strike rained down on the exposed engines and turrets, detonating the warheads.

The severely crippled CRS-light cruiser merely floated in the darkness of space, dead in the water. Grey smoke withered from their heavily damaged sections that now resembled craters. Fragments of the pulse laser and plasma turrets skimmed across the surface of the wreckage. Unfortunate Storm Sangheili, Kig-ar, and Unggoy bodies that were sucked out from the ship, drifted in a frozen state next to the ruins. Such chaos only brought the UNSC one step closer to victory.

Captain Lasky smiled grimly at the success, while the crew clapped their hands together mixed with shouts in glory. He then looked at the resident A.I.

"Roland, I'd say that cruiser is in perfect condition for boarding. How are our fighters doing?"

"They are mopping up the rest of the seraphs as we speak, Captain. Overall the mission went even better than I calculated. I think I was right on the overkill though."

"Jobs not over yet. Send out the Spartans."

"Aye aye, sir. Passing the message along to Commander Palmer."

***Main Hangar Bay of the UNSC Infinity* **

"Initiating pre-flight diagnostics. Forward Autocannon: Check. Lateral Rail Turrets: Check." The female pilot, Rebekah, radioed in the comm., "Main Thrusters: Check. Auxiliary Boosters: Check. All right keying engines... now."

The Pelican's engines hummed to life causing the dropship to hover above the ground. There was a hiss as the ramp retracted and the rear cargo door closed, sealing the super soldiers protectively inside. Rebekah craned her neck over her seat to check on her passengers. When Commander Palmer nodded her head for the go-to sign, the pilot informed the bridge of the statistics.

"This is Echo-093, my bird is chirping and the kids in back are ready to play."

"Copy that Echo, you are good to go. It should be some smooth flying today," a male voice answered.

"Roger, command."

The gunship gently flew out of the hangar and into the endless amount of space. Once it was a safe distance away from the hangar, the thrusters fired at full burn, pushing them forward and farther from the Infinity.

"We are deployed and inbound to the Covenant cruiser."

The human aircraft raced across the battlefield that was dominated by their own triumphant species. The entire layout was filled with the weightless detritus of the defeated Storm.

They got a decent view at the carnage that the broadswords brought as they swarmed the few remaining seraphs like raging wasps. The last of the alien starfighters were brutally hunted down in the short lived dogfight. The Storm Sangheili pilots were hopelessly outgunned and outmatched, reducing them into dissipating fireballs. One could almost feel pity for the Elites from their futile actions... almost. To others it was a form of justice from when their genocidal campaign glassed the young UNSC colony of Chi Rho during the war.

Past that lied a massive graveyard of fresh Covenant ship debris. It seemed nearly impossible to believe that a small fleet was alive let alone active there not too long ago. Now large pieces of floating scrap littered the area, forcing the Pelican to lazily maneuver around them.

Behind the heaps of junk, awaited their destination; the heavily damaged CRS-light cruiser flagship.

The pilot let out a low whistle in astonishment, admiring how the enemy vessel was missing an entire wing section. A valuable piece of art drawn from the thunderous MAC round.

"Wow, the Infinity sure did a number on her."

She steered the Pelican closer to the impaired warship's hanagr, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. Rebekah let out an amused chuckle when she saw that a good-sized platoon of five Elites, eight Grunts, and six Jackals were bunkered down on the other side of the hangar shield.

It was pretty impressive that they were able to cram themselves in such a tight room. The hangar being almost identical to a CCS-class battlecruiser's, just significantly smaller. It was simply two-tiered, connected by pillar-like platforms, with little space between the floors and ceilings of each level. The only thing separating them from outside was a square plasma magnetic containment field that retained the atmosphere.

"Bastards must have known that we were coming," she mumbled under her breath.

"What's the hold up, pilot?" Commander Palmer called from the back of the dropship. She was impatient, the adrenalin already beginning to course through her body, ready for the battles to come.

"We've got some Covies holding the line in the landing zone. I count nineteen. Don't worry, I'll take care of them," she reassured in confidence.

Rebekah nudged the controls that carefully flew them inside, past the barrier. The Covenant immediately responded by unleashing a barrage of small arms fire. The never-ending shower of colorful plasma sprinkled over the troop carrier, but left nothing worse than black scorched marks on it.

"You'll need something stronger than those pea-shooters! Too bad, I'm the only one with the big guns!" the pilot mocked through the intercom with a toothy grin, stretching from ear to ear.

The Pelican's nose mounted auto cannon rotated and pointed in their direction, emitting a familiar hum signifying that it was about to release a hail of seventy millimeter rounds.

A Storm Sangheili Warrior bravely stood up and discharged its full concussion rifle. Four explosive bolts soared and dropped on the UNSC gunship, but only tattooed a few dark smudges on the bird.

"My turn squid-head!" Rebekah shouted, while she eagerly held her thumb over the red firing button.

Bright yellow bullets razed the ground where the golden armored alien had stood. Its personal energy shield quickly collapsed under the heavy firepower and tore through the rough skin like butter. The Elite cried out in immense pain, but it was drowned out by the blazing sounds of gunfire. After a very brief second, the appointed defensive, leader's corpse fell to the ground, its thick purple blood staining the hangar floor.

When the others had seen that their most seasoned kin had died by the humans, all of them reacted on their various basic instinct. The four surviving Sangheili minors jumped up and roared ferociously like animals. They charged at the transport, while continuously pelting it with streaking, blue plasma from their storm rifles. Some of them spoke in their native tongue with the words 'heretic' and 'honor' repeated.

The Pelican's turret directed itself at the oncoming Elites, and released its deadly payload. The four remnants were assaulted by the brutal force of lead rounds pounding against their bodies, their shields destroyed quicker than their veteran counterpart. The drastic force knocked them off their hooves and sent them tumbling.

"I've got plenty more where that came from, bitches!" the pilot's voice rising in utter excitement, reveling in the carnage.

Each Kig-Yar started to back away into different corners in the wide room. Those with shield gauntlets, threw them up, trying to cover their entire skinny form. The snipers dashed from cover to cover, looking for a good spot to stay alive. All of them secretly knew that they would be the next to go on the female's hit list. Their kind was always targeted once the split-lips were killed. Like every pirate, the Jackals cared for no one but themselves.

Without anyone to lead them, the Unggoy scrambled all around. Stubby legs ran as fast as they could carry them, with scaly arms flailing in the air. The Grunts tried to scatter, but there was nowhere to flee. Taking them out would be like shooting ducks at a carnival.

Inside the Pelican, Rebekah looked back at the Spartans.

"Go on ahead, I'll handle the rest of these freaks."

The rear cargo bay door opened with a loud hiss, but the gunship continued to hover in the air.

The Master Chief was the first to jump out, initially fulfilling the role as the front man. He landed with a loud thud, and immediately drew his assault rifle with an almost unnatural grace. There were still plenty of hostiles alive, but it seemed they were getting mowed down by the dropship's auto-cannon.

"Don't waste your ammo on them," Commander Palmer instructed as she touched down next to him, "The pilot has us covered. We need to get to the bridge, and download the information."

Kent followed suit, railgun unholstered and scanning the area. Parker came out last, armed with the SAW.

"Let's get moving, Spartans!" Sarah ordered after she grabbed both of her magnums from her sides.

The team broke out in a dead sprint, with John-117 in lead. Commander Palmer dashed along Chief's left side, while Parker trailed on the right, and Kent shadowed in the back. They ran through the door and into the network of hallways. The super soldiers were a zipping blur as they rocketed down the empty corridors, though the model II had to considerably slow down to keep at pace with the IVs.

With such amazing tilting speeds, they were able to pass through several halls in no time.

During the hasty scurry, the group couldn't help but notice how the inner parts of the cruiser were in complete disarray. The walls of purple metal casing were dented and ripped apart, revealing the sparking jagged wires underneath. Multiple Covenant carcasses laid broken and battered, throughout the walkways from being thrown around. They must had died after the Infinity's devastating MAC round spun the entire ship. It was a wonder why even send in the armored behemoths if they hardly met any resistance at all?

Still keeping ever vigilant, they had their firearms prepared for any surprise attacks to pop out.

"After the next hall is the bridge, boys. We're almost done," Sarah Palmer informed, while they raced ahead.

"Aw man, really? Where are all the Covies? They're making this too easy. I almost wish for a Hunter right now!" Kent complained, eager to kill another foe from the lack of action.

No sooner had the words left his mouth that a door not too far ahead began to open. It was a perfect example of Murphy's Law when from within the doorway two huge, hulking figures shambled into the hallway. Kent had gotten his wish; the giants were obviously a pair of Mgalekgolo, given away by their shear size and the blue tint to their armor.

The team skidded to a sudden stop, when the Storm juggernauts blocked their path. One of them held out its assault cannon, while a mass of green energy gathered around it.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?!" Parker cursed at his friend.

"Get down!" Master Chief cried out.

In the nick of time, the Spartans dove to the ground, just when an oversized glob of green gel soared over them. The bolt from the Hunter's assault cannon slammed into the door behind the super soldiers, vaporizing it in a brilliant explosion. The plasma ate away at the entry, like hungry termites on wood. They quickly got back on their feet, ready for a fight.

"Spread out! Chief, me and you got one." Sarah then pointed at the Spartan IVs, "You two got the other. Take them down!"

The squad separated into duets, going after their own walking tank.

John hefted out the Spartan Laser over his shoulder and looked at Palmer.

"Can you distract it?" he asked, while he held down the trigger, emitting an audible whine.

It was very easy for her to connect the dots on his plan with the heavy weapon. All he needed was a little bit of time.

"You got it," she replied.

Sarah turned and fired four shots from her dual magnums. The Hunter responded in kind by raising its monstrous, metal shield arm, where the bullets harmlessly bounced off.

The Commander sneered a bit at her foolish tactic. Yes, she could distract the thing by shooting at it, but it would certainly be waste of ammo. It was then that, an idea concocted in her head and she darted at the Mgalekgolo. It mirrored her actions, charging towards her with incredible stomps that could steamroll anything in its way.

Suddenly, everything around her started to slow down as she entered the infamous Spartan time. Now she saw the rampaging beast was lumbering at a snail's pace.

Within closing distance, the giant raised its enormous shield arm, wanting to smash the female demon in a single mighty swing.

At the last second, Commander Palmer shuffled to the side, just when the worm beast brought down the unknown alloy. She then leapt on the lowered shield and used her built up momentum to vault over the colossal alien. In mid-jump, she brought her handguns to bear and unleashed eight rounds that pierced into the Hunter's exposed back.

The Covenant titan howled in agony with its deep, rough, rumbled voice. It stepped back a bit due to its wounds, but it was there that it noticed a red targeting laser painted on its chest. The Hunter followed the bright line and saw where it came from. In a moment of desperation, it torpedoed ahead.

With impressive velocity, the Mgalekgolo slapped the Spartan Laser out of Master Chief's hands. The battery weapon slid across the floor, the glaring red light dying out. Pressing the heat on the commando, it lashed at Chief with another vertical swing from its arm, but he nimbly ducked.

The super soldier tucked and rolled behind the Storm's infantry heavy unit. He took out his assault rifle from the magnetic clamps on his back, and let loose the firepower on the colony of worms. The bullets blasted into the bare back, orange blood splattering all over the ground. When his gun clicked dry, Chief promptly reloaded with a fresh clip.

The Hunter wailed in a low-pitched scream, and dropped to an armored knee. It was able to catch itself by holding steady on its cannon arm. The fearsome creature was too wounded to finish its fight.

Seeing the perfect opportunity for a final strike, Master Chief pounced on its back and took a hold of its spikes. With the automatic gun in one hand, he pressed the barrel to the withering worms and held the trigger down. The full thirty-two magazine went into the loyalist, ripping the goliath's innards to shreds. The giant toppled to the ground like a towering skyscraper.

Sierra-117 stepped back from his recent kill, and slapped in fresh clip for his rifle with fluid motion. Next he went over and picked up the Spartan Laser. With a quick check, he saw that the durable cannon was still in prime condition for battle. He holstered it, but he could sense that Commander Palmer was walking up behind him.

"Nice job, Chief," Sarah complimented, which she rarely threw out on operations. "Now let's see if the other two need help."

Without warning, Kent flew through the air and landed at their boots.

"Ow..." he groaned from the ground.

The Spartans looked up to see Parker was narrowly avoiding a boxing match with the remaining Hunter. They indistinctly raised their guns to pepper the beast, but a held up gauntlet stopped them.

"Hang on," Kent reassured, while steadily getting back up, "We got this."

The male IV reached to his thigh, and withdrew his sticky detonator. He targeted the rocket pistol at the Mgalekgolo, and fired.

**CLUNK!**

The explosive muzzle propelled and latched on the juggernaut's knee like a spit wad.

A radar screen popped up on the hilt of the single shot pistol, while the adhesive grenade beeped and flashed a red light on the loyalist.

"You're getting sloppy," Palmer razzed, noticing where the DMG landed.

She would've rested her hands on her hips to display her smug, but given the circumstance, she preferred to keep her sidearms out.

"Wait for it," he responded anxiously.

Kent reached over and pulled out his railgun. He carefully aimed at the flickering mine with a keen eye. The accelerator lit up in a brilliant blue light for a brief moment, and then shot with mind numbing speed.

**BOOM!**

A sizable detonation over encumbered the hulking form, causing it to tumble to the floor with a loud thud. A powerful chain-reaction from two UNSC grade explosives.

"There's your opening, Parker! Take it!" Kent shouted out.

Said super soldier quickly ran over to the head of the smoking, downed Hunter. He pressed his SAW to its uncovered neck and released the light machine gun's full burst. Orange blood spewed all over the recruit's armor in a rather messy fashion. The titanic creature went limp, never to rise again.

"Yeah, we are getting pretty sloppy," Kent remarked to his superior officer in dry humor.

She merely shrugged off the comment.

John silently admitted, that though the IVs were naïve and couldn't stack up to his generation, they could be creative when they wanted to be. Still they had a mission to focus on and very well intended to complete it.

The group wasted no time over the dead Hunters and continued on to their destination. They rushed past doorway after doorway, glancing through them as they passed, wary of any more enemies that may have been lurking. Their caution was in vain, however, as no more appeared, and in no time they had reached the final door. With their guns cocked and at the ready, the door split and slid open, revealing what hid behind it; the bridge.

It was indistinguishable from the CCS versions such as the _Truth and Reconciliation _that blew up on Installtion-04. There was a raised platform in the center of the spacious room, ringed with holographic controls that ruled the light cruiser. The controls were blaring a radiant red, obviously a warning system from the severe damage the vessel had taken. And like every Covenant ship, there was a Shipmaster.

The Storm Sangheili Zealot, Zarpa Meham stationed himself at the controls, desperately trying to keep his warship maintained. His four digit hands were rapidly pressing the keys against shimmering images, much like a timed child putting together a new puzzle. When he heard the melodic ding of the entry opening, he momentarily paused to see who disturbed him during his stressful troubles.

At the sight of his armored assassins, he reared back and roared savagely in a blind fury. Of course the humans would send '_them_' to eliminate him, but he would not cower in the face of death. With the flick of his wrist, he ignited his energy sword and pointed the dual tips of the plasma blade in the direction of the intruders.

"DEMONS! ALL OF YOU SHALL DIE BY MY BLADE!" the zealot bellowed.

The super soldiers kept their guns aimed at him, expecting the shipmaster to come charging at them like every energy sword wielding Elite. But much to their dismay, he did not. Alternatively, Zarpa Meham, pulled out a plasma grenade and tossed it towards them.

The small, but deadly ball of blue fire stuck to the ground in front of the Spartans. It hissed like a viper ready to strike.

"Move!" Master Chief cried out on an impulse.

Everyone quickly leapt to the side, just when the Covenant grenade exploded.

"He said he wants to kill us with his sword, but instead he throws a grenade! What the hell...Hey, where did he go?" Kent asked when the zealot seemingly vanished from thin air.

They looked around to see where he had gone, but the Sangheili was nowhere in sight.

"Eyes up! He must be using active camouflage. Check your motion trackers and watch for any distortions nearby," Commander Palmer advised.

They carefully scanned the room with an itchy trigger fingers, ready to pull it on a moment's notice. The air was filled with an eerie silence; the only sound being heard was the constant beeping from the terminals. If a pin were to fall they would hear it, and most likely shoot it.

Most people knew that the elites were well adept in using their stealth technology. With controlled breathing, hushed footsteps, and caused them to be practically invisible to the naked eye, they could even sneak up on a ninja. They were the perfect infiltrators to ambush any of their enemies.

The UNSC had taught their troops what to expect when engaging a cloaked Covie, but the one with greatest experience in the group was the Master Chief himself. Years of fighting the Covenant also meant that more than once he had to deal with their special operation troopers.

Several times, he had fought them when they all wanted the honor and glory of killing him. So he, like all veterans of the war, knew what to look for on the battlefield. If one watched carefully, at a closing medium distance, they could see the active camo creating a shimmering effect in the air from the Spec Ops trooper.

Suddenly, as John-117 was looking in Parker's direction, he noticed a strange, shimmering area in his vision, like the wavering heat haze that lingered around fired-up engines, moving closer to the man. Instantly, he knew that it was the camoflauged Elite stalking the Spartan-IV. With his senses on high alert, he reacted. He shoved the young man down, just as an energy sword slashed vertically where he once stood.

The Shipmaster faded into existence. He snarled through his mandibles at being denied his honorable kill. In a moment of rage, Zarpa Meham tried to backslash Chief, but he swiftly sidestepped the swipe. The Spartan retaliated by thrusting his leg out, kicking the zealot in the chest, and giving him the vital space he needed. The storm elite slid across the floor on his feet, with his shields taking the brunt of the attack and still holding at half strength.

The Sangheili roared in a righteous fury and charged.

Chief valiantly stood his ground, and brought his assault rifle to bare. His finger clutched the trigger, spraying the oncoming alien with a volley of bullets.

The elite's shields took several hits as he ran forward, but it did not deter him even the slightest. His lust for killing the demon overcame any logical sense.

When Chief's clip clicked dry, the zealot's shields finally fell. The shipmaster lunged, swinging his energy sword in a wide horizontal arc, aiming right for Master Chief's neck. The Spartan-II blocked the blow by taking a step forward and slamming his forearm against the elite's, stopping the attack in mid-slash. Never expecting someone to make such a bold move, the zealot was stunned for only a second, but a second was all John-117 needed. With his free hand, he unsheathed his combat knife and plunged the blade under the Sangheili's upper jaw.

Knowing that he would be taking the Great Journey in the afterlife, Zarpa Meham tried to say his last words. And yet all he could muster up were a few gurgles, no thanks to the dagger stabbed below his skull.

With minimum effort, Chief withdrew his combat knife, causing the Sangheili's corpse to topple to the floor.

Meanwhile, Parker steadily picked himself back up onto his feet. After, witnessing that the prominent Master Chief had saved his life, he had to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Um a... th... thanks for the save, Chief."

John-117 certainly wasn't new to rescuing people, so he was quite use to gratitude. Like many times before, he merely nodded his head.

Commander Palmer ran past the men and went up to the cruiser's controls.

"Cover me, while I download the data."

Using both hands, she began tinkering with the holographic consoles that flickered at her precise touch.

Chief was about to patrol the area to watch out for any more enemies that might drop in in them, but a surprised Kent stopped him.

"Hey over here! I found something!"

John marched over and saw that it was a crate filled with different armor abilities.

"Looks like Zarpa Meham snatched a fine collection. It seems some of them were taken from Requiem and even a few that belonged to other Spartans. I wonder why he moved it to the control center?" Kent asked.

"Maybe he wanted to take them with him, if he had to leave his ship?" Parker deduced by understanding the elite's circumstance.

"Grab what you can. I don't appreciate UNSC tech being stolen," Commander Palmer called out.

Master Chief bent down to scoop up the equipment. He attached the hardlight shield, the device syncing up with his HUD. The Forerunner defensive technology may come in handy on the sprint back to the pelican, if any more Storm forces jump out from hiding. He stowed the rest in certain compartments in his suit. Being roughly the same size as a magazine of ammo, they were able to fit.

While she uploaded the information at the Covenant terminal, Sarah couldn't help but to peek over her shoulder at Chief. She knew that once she retrieved the intel, they would be able to pinpoint the location of Jul 'Mdama and the other half of the Janus Key. They would also know where the creator of the original Spartan-II program is; Dr Catherine Halsey.

She frowned underneath her helmet at the thought of the 'good doctor.' Dr Halsey was a war criminal, a vile woman who'd performed experiments that most would find at best ethically dubious. A mad scientist who had kidnapped innocence children, spirited them away from their families, and transformed them into living weapons.

With John losing so much in his life, Palmer distantly wondered how he managed to keep going.

She cursed at her luck that she only shot Halsey in arm. Hopefully next time either she or the Master Chief himself could finish the job, with a bullet to the head. A ding rang through helmet bringing her out of her thoughts, which signaled that the information had been successfully downloaded. Next she turned to her group.

"I've got the intel. Alright now we-"

Without warning, a powerful force shook the entire ship, nearly causing the team to fall to the ground from the tremble.

"What just happened?" Kent asked, hoping anyone would answer.

It was then that the Infinity's resident A.I. radioed them.

"Uh Spartans, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have a problem."

"What is it, Roland?" Sarah Palmer said.

"With the engines blown off, the entire light cruiser is getting sucked into the nearby planet's atmosphere. If you guys don't get out of there in the next five minutes, all of you are going down with the ship!"

The very second the radio ended, they dashed off at high speed.

"Let's move it!" Commander Palmer cried out.

The super soldiers blitzed out of the command deck, and through the very door they entered. They passed through the halls they already came through, all the while the cruiser continued to rumble and the temperature steadily increased.

"These tremors aren't helping!" Kent cried.

"Neither is your complaining!" Parker retorted, stress building up as the situation worsened.

"Keep going," the Master Chief remarked rather calmly, having already repeated the scenario when he first found Requiem.

Finally they reached the hangar, with the Pelican still waiting. The oversized Storm platoon that once stood in the hangar bay to combat the humans were now carcasses brittled with oversized holes. Their bodies torn to pieces from the dropship's high caliber rounds.

"It's getting hot in here! Hurry up and get on board! We've got to go!"The pilot shouted through the comms.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kent remarked during the sprint.

The gunship hovered above the floor, still low enough for anyone to jump in for a hasty escape. There was a hiss as the rear cargo door opened and the ramp descended, while the engines purred.

"Come on, get in!" the pilot cried, desperate to leave the doomed cruiser.

Another monstrous quake rocked the ship, causing even the Spartans to fall to the floor. Broken metal parts rained down from the ceiling, explosions erupted from the walls, and alarms blaring; the ship was tearing itself apart.

Suddenly, a bright aurora of yellow lights flashed above the super soldiers. The flaxen streams shined down on them like the morning sun breaking through a dark thunderstorm.

"What the hell is that?" Kent gawked at the random appearance of the lusterous beams.

No one answered as the lights continued to shine down.

As of the timing couldn't get any stranger, the Infinity's A.I. spoke to them through the comms.

"Spartans, I'm getting a unusual energy spike coming from your location. What's going on over there?"

"Some sort of lights just popped up from out of nowhere." Sarah replied.

"Really? Can you-"

He didn't get to finish for the Commander hastily cut him off in a voice that showed no remorse.

"Sorry, Roland, but we don't have time to figure out what they are."

She quickly recovered, and rushed towards the aircraft, followed in closely by Parker and Kent. However, when they reached the Pelican they noticed that one of them was missing. The team looked back to see the Master Chief was still on the ground, the golden rays outlining his MJOLNIR armor.

Using all of his augmented strength, John-117 tried to get up, yet he remained frozen to the deck. It felt as if some unknown force was weighing him down. Amidst all the blaring noise, his enhanced hearing toned in on the screams of the Spartan-IVs.

"Chief, get up! You got to get up!" Sarah Palmer shouted.

Unfortunately, the super soldier did not move, all he could muster were a few grunts.

The group ran back to him, despite the pilot's protests. They bent down to drag him to the gunship by his limbs, but he wouldn't budge. They attempted a second time, putting more strain on their muscles, still the Spartan-II didn't move; not even an inch.

"What's going on? He feels heavier than a Mammoth!" Kent said through tired breaths.

"It must be that light!" Parker deduced, exhausted as well.

"That doesn't make any sense! Is this some new tech from the Covenant?" Kent rebutted.

"We haven't seen something like this from the Storm. Maybe it's Forerunner?" Parker replied.

"Whatever it is, we've got to stop it!" Sarah Palmer exclaimed.

She reached over her shoulder and grabbed her DMR. The Commander aimed in the center of the rays and fired a couple of shots. The bullets fazed through, and hit the ceiling. She pulled the trigger three more times, but the results repeated, as much to her worry.

"It's not working!" Kent hollered, while he strived to lift the Master Chief again.

None the less, Sarah continued to shoot frantically, until her magazine went empty. The annoying, dry clicks were as if her own tool was laughing at her failure.

"NO, NO, NO!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

She nearly threw her weapon down in anger. It was proving to be absolutely useless in aiding her comrade, which only fueled her temper.

"Commander," Parker solemnly went up and placed his hand on her shoulder, "There's no more time left. We've got to go."

Behind her visor, her mouth dropped like an anchor. The grim news caused her stomach to ache with a sickly feeling. She couldn't just abandon the same man who had saved the human race on several occasions. The very person who became hope of humanity and idol of other Spartans. Sarah violently swatted his arm off her in protest.

"NO! We don't leave anyone behind, especially not a Spartan!"

"Hey, something's happening!" Kent called out from behind them.

Both of them looked back to see that something indeed was happening. The Master Chief and the light were glowing immensely bright to where even they, with their polarized visors, had to shield their faces with their forearms. The _'light'_ expanded, bathing the entire room with its luminescence. However, much like it arrived, in a very brief flash; it was gone, taking John-117 with it.

"Where... where did he go?" Kent spoke what was all on their minds. Unfortunately it went unanswered.

They couldn't believe it, though their eyes were the ones that saw it. There wasn't a single trace of the dark green armored goliath remaining. The space he occupied previously was simply... empty. He just inexplicably vanished before them all. They were utterly speechless.

The ship shook once again with a minor tremor. It wasn't strong enough to knock them down, yet it did remind them that they had to avoid their own imminent disaster.

The realization had washed over her like a bucket of cold water. She gasped as sweat poured from her skin, heart beating hard enough to be felt in her palms. She didn't want to accept the dreadful truth, but she knew they had to exit the doomed cruiser without the Chief. She had never left anyone behind before, except one; Spartan Davis. He stayed behind to fend off the Storm while she evacuated other UNSC personnel before the moon, X50 exploded. His death haunted her to this very day, and now another one's blood was about to be stained on her hands. She considered searching for the Master Chief, but reason won in the end.

"Get aboard the dropship! We've got to go now!" Commander Palmer barked, the first to speak.

Kent spun around to her, completely surprised by her decision. Just seconds ago, she vowed to bring Chief in the bird at all cost. Now she was saying to discard him?

"What? What happened about not leav-"

Before anyone could blink, she reached out and roughly grabbed him by the chestplate.

"That's an order, soldier!" Palmer snapped, driving the nail that she was in no position to argue.

She then shoved him away.

Kent and Parker stared at her for a moment, still dumbstruck, but they hesitantly complied with their commands. All three rushed towards the gunship again, except they were one man short. They ran without looking back, though Sarah stayed a few steps behind incase one of them disobeyed her.

Their only means of escape laid before them while death loomed at their backs, fear and adrenaline pumping through their veins gave them speed beyond any of their augmentations could grant. Kent and Parker arrived first, a deep sense of relief overcoming them... then they remembered that there was still a third member to come on board, both men turn to see their CO. The sight that greeted them was of horror as the floor gave way. Sarah did what any person with any sense of self preservation would do, she took a literal leap of faith as she pushed herself off the crumbling floor towards salvation. For a brief moment as her body slammed into the dropship's metallic floor she felt the same relief her men felt, but then confusion clouded her thoughts as she suddenly noticed herself being drawn back. The men scrambled towards her and she realized death was not to be so easily denied.

Kent jumped and held onto her forearms while Parker grabbed his armored legs and activated the magnetic soles on his boots, thus keeping him attached as if an anchor. With a combined effort they pulled her to safety just when the explosion behind them reached its crescendo. They watched as the bay doors sealed itself and felt as their ship pulled them away.

With its armor severely weakened by the Infinity's MAC, the Covenant CRS-light cruiser's hull shattered into several pieces as it was pulled in by the planet's gravitational force. Friction continued to tear it apart when every single piece was sucked in for a nasty re-entry. Raging flames engulfed the junk when it reached Chi Rho's atmosphere and would soon impact on the former colony's surface.

However, the chaos around the ship was all secondary to Palmer as she stared at the Pelican's floor. Her fingertips were gripping her knees tightly, as if she was trying to pin herself to the ground. It was unbelievable, she almost expected to look across the shaking fuselage and see Chief sitting there, strong and stoic as ever. But the seat was vacant.

They cannot deny that now they were no longer in danger, they were thinking one thing... What has become of humanity champion? What has become of the John-117?

Captain Lasky's voice coming through the comms was enough to capture the soldiers' attentions.

"What happened down there?" he barked. His words were sharp and concise, obviously aware that something wasn't right, and he was intent on finding out what.

There was a small pause, where both Kent and Parker glanced at the silent figure of Commander Palmer, unsure of whether or not she would speak. When she did her voice was deceptively calm, and carried her usual, curt tone.

"There was a light, it held Chief down. We couldn't get him off the ground, and he disappeared."

It was obvious that that was all she was going to say, and so when Lasky's voice came through the radio again, the only thing any of the ship's occupants felt was a grim sense of finality.

"You're all reporting straight back to me when you're back on board."

***Meanwhile with the Master Chief John-117***

_"Wake up, Chief... They need you..."_

A gauntlet flexed, and then tightened, he could move once more. Experimentally moving his hands and feet, he discovered he was no longer pinned to the ground. His heads up display flashed to life with familiar readouts, showing that his MJOLNIR armor was not damaged. After assessing his own condition, John steadily picked himself back up, but what he saw was a very surprising sight to the Spartan-II.

He did not stand on the light cruiser's cold metallic floor, but rather soft trimmed grass. Unlike the broken purple walls of a dying Covenant ship, he stood in a small clearing that was surrounded by groves of vivid green bamboo. The mysterious _'light'_ was not flaring above him, instead it was single yellow sun amidst a crystal clear, blue sky. Its warm rays shined down on a statue in front of him, in the middle of the well tended opening.

The stone figurine was carved of six serpent-like creatures. They looked oddly similar to something he studied with the A.I. Déjà, during his childhood. Surveying the sharp claws, the viscous predator face, and scaly body; he guessed that they were fabled dragons.

It was a somewhat peaceful little clearing, but his senses remained on high alert. Judging by the pre-cut turf and the statue of dragons, he could easily tell that some sort of civilization made them. He held his MA5D firmly in his hands, prepared for a first contact scenario with a sentient species.

He knew he needed to contact the UNSC, so he could get back to the Infinity and report his findings. He activated his comms, and spoke.

"Infinity, this is Sierra-117. Do you copy?"

Alas all he got was static in return, the frizzing sound buzzed in his ears. He tried once more.

"Infinity, do you read?"

Sadly, there was no response on the other end, just more static. He gave up on radioing anyone, and now understood that he was all on his own.

John frowned underneath his helmet. He wished that _'she'_ was here with him. Cortana would know exactly where he was and he wouldn't be alone.

"That light!" a deep male voiced boomed behind him.

At the fraction of a second, the Master Chief gracefully spun around and leveled his assault rifle at the possible threat.

There standing before, was a fully grown man wearing predominately white robes and a blue vest. Black armbands were strapped on his wrists, along with a grey sash wrapped around his waist. His face was shadowed by a straw hat.

But it was when Chief saw the eyes that made him doubt that the person was actually human. They glowed a bright blue with no pupils and seemed to radiate energy. They reminded him of the Promethean Knights prior to the Didact taking control of them.

Curiously enough, the stranger did not flinch or show any sign of fear when the gun was aimed at him. His face remained neutral, showing no emotion what so ever.

The super soldier briefly examined him for a concealed weapon, and he quickly noticed that the man had an amulet in his hand. And in the center of it was a symbol of a dragon, the same one like the six statues. There had to be a connection.

"The Elder Gods must have sent you! They heard me and so they have spoken through you! You must be _'him!' He who must win!"_

_'Elder Gods?'_ the Spartan thought to himself as he never recalled anone who referred themselves as such.

"Identify yourself." he ordered, finger on the trigger, ready to pull if things got ugly.

"I am Raiden, god of thunder, and protector of Earthrealm."

**To be continued...**

**So what do you think?**

**This was my first space battle ever, and I hoped I did a decent job at writing it. This was also my first time writing godly characters talking all godly and high'n mighty. **

**Well Chief is going to have one heck of a time in Mortal Kombat. With only three clips of his assault rifle, a full batter on his Spartan Laser, eight magazines to his M6G magnum sidearm, and one of every armor ability from Halo 4. No he will not be able to use every armor abilities all at once. He will have to take off his current attached one and put on a new one each time.**

**This story did take me awhile to write. I know it is a bit long for a first chapter, but there was a lot to cover. The next chapter will definietly be tough to write.**

**I know what some of you might be thinking; 'How can a first person shooter character like Master Chief fit in a third person hand to hand fighting game?' Well actually they did something like this in a Dead or Alive game by adding Spartan-II Nicole-458 to their character list, thus was how we got the Hayabusa armor added to Halo 3.**

**Also some of you might be wondering about the Elder Gods. In the old games, they didn't really have a physical appearance besides a floating opera-like face on one game. But Mortal Kombat 2011, they actually showed them what they looked like. I noticed that they looked extremely close to some ancient people like a samurai, and a shaman. You can't see them all, but I based the rest off other ancient warriors like a viking, indian chieftain, and etc.**

**Next on the update list: Well after recently posting a rewritten chapter to my Halo/Tomb Raider crossover, I was hoping to post a new chapter to my Star Wars story. But I have a lot more written for my Halo/Mass Effect crossover, so 'From Hell to Hell' will most likely be updated first. **


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